Grim Pickings for Cinema & Home Entertainment this week…

GRIM PICKINGS this week include several dates to dismember, from the fear of the dark in LIGHTS OUT to extra-terrestrial hijinks down under in AUSTRALIENS. Here’s what’s releasing locally this week…

In Cinemas

Thursday July 21stLIGHTS OUT
From producer James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw) comes a tale of an unknown terror that lurks in the dark. When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out…and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger…once the lights go out.

STAR TREK: BEYOND
The highly anticipated next instalment in the globally popular Star Trek franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced by J.J. Abrams in 2009, returns with director Justin Lin (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise) at the helm of this epic voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her intrepid crew. In “Beyond,” the Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

FOR A FEW BULLETS
Set against its neo-Western 1930’s backdrop FOR A FEW BULLETS film centers on a reluctant partnership between a beautiful government gunslinger and a slick con artist in order to protect the national Imperial seal from the Japanese military. This action comedy stars award-winning actress Zhang Jingchu (Seven Swords, Rush Hour 3, Mission Impossible-Rouge Nation) alongside Kenny Lin (The Taking Of Tiger Moutain), with Liu Xiaoqing (Mojin: The Lost Legend), Vivian Dawson, singer Tengger and Kenneth Tsang (Supercop, Rush Hour).

On DVD & Blu-ray

Wednesday July 20thAUSTRALIENS
At the age of 10, Brisbanite Andi Gibson had what she describes as a close encounter with a flying saucer. Naturally, everyone assumed she was bonkers. That is, until the aliens returned 17 years later, but this time with they have an entire armada at their back and total domination on their minds. With the military outmatched in every way, it’s up to Andi, her hypochondriac brother Elliot, retired boxer cousin Keith and documentary filmmaker friend Cam to battle car-chasing spaceships, kung-fu aliens and giant killer robots. Bloody hell, this is gonna be a long night! Following up from their debut feature THE KILLAGE, Joe Bauer, Rita Artmann and the Artspear team return with a hilarious, special-effects laden sci-fi- comedy-horror of epic proportions you won’t want to miss.
-Limited Edition MOD Blu-ray (BD-R) available exclusively at the http://monsterpictures.com.au/shop/australiens/.

GHOULIES (Blu-ray Only)
Take a creepy old Hollywood mansion, a naive young man and a pretty girl. Add an over-the-top orgy and some slimy, winged goblins who crawl out of toilets, and you have Ghoulies, a horrifying and hilarious ride into the darkest regions of hell! Conjured up during a party thrown by the mansion’s new owner, the hairy, fanged demons waste no time wreaking havoc on the scene – and declaring the unsuspecting owner their new lord and master!

ACT OF VENGEANCE (DVD Only)
Five women all had one thing in common: they had each been violated in the same savage way. When they looked for justice it wasn’t there so they took the law into their own hands. Let the revenge fit the crime!

SCREAM AT THE DEVIL (DVD Only)
Mirium Jones suffers from schizophrenia. Estranged from her husband because of his affair with a younger woman, Mirium travels alone to the land of her dreams, Venice, Italy. Sad and lost, she finds herself in an ancient basilica where she comes face-to-face with a haunting image of Satan, which speaks to her.and her alone. After returning to L.A., Mirium reunites with her husband and they set out to begin a new life in a new home, isolated in the forest many miles from any town or city. Strange images begin to haunt Mirium, and after a violent altercation, her husband disappears. Alone and isolated, terrifying demonic manifestations begin to drive Mirium to the edge of insanity.

VICTORIA (DVD Only)
Berlin, 4am. Victoria, a young woman from Madrid, meets Sonne and his three mates outside a club. The local guys promise to show Victoria the real side of the city, but they owe someone a dangerous favour that requires repaying that evening. As Victoria’s flirtation with Sonne deepens into something more he convinces her to come along for the ride. And as the night takes on an ever more menacing character, what started out as a good time quickly spirals out of control. Shot in one continuous take, VICTORIA is a breathtaking cinematic adventure, sweeping the German Academy Awards, winning Best Film, Director, Actress, Actor, Cinematography and Music by Nils Frahm. This real-time epic bobs and weaves through a fast-paced, non-stop thrill ride, featuring an energetic combination of 90s rave films, romantic walk-and-talks and high-stakes heists.

ROOMMATE WANTED
Janie is an ambitious student who dreams of a better life. Dee is a gorgeous socialite who dreams of a rich husband. They’re already not the best of friends…or the best of roommates. When the chance to earn a quick $50,000 arises, what begins as a little un-friendly competition becomes all-out war as Janie and Dee face-off in a no-holds-barred battle royale. Family heirlooms, boyfriends, beloved pets, nothing is off-limits as these two desperate, angry women go toe-to-toe, boot-to-boot and knee-to-face!

LISTENING
A psychological thriller about penniless grad students who invent mind-reading technology that destroys their lives. David, Ryan, and Jordan hope the telepathy invention will solve all their problems, but the bleeding-edge technology opens a Pandora’s box of new dangers, as the team discovers that when they open their minds, there is nowhere to hide their thoughts. Secrets and betrayals surface, and the technology is stolen by a covert government agency with a hidden agenda. With no one left to trust, David is forced against his friends in a life-or-death battle over?not only the privacy of the human mind, but the future of free will itself.

WE ARE TWISTED F*CKING SISTER (DVD Only)
Some considered Twisted Sister a joke, others called them the greatest bar band in the world. While Punk/New Wave took over New York City, Twisted Sister was battling their way to the top of a working class, suburban, cover-band bar scene – surrounding NY, yet existing in a parallel world. At its peak were monster clubs, packing in audiences of up to 3000-5000 a night – both a great living and a dead end, offering little future outside the suburban enclave. That Twisted Sister would break out into multi-platinum stardom is well known, but this is no fable of fame and success, no litany of celebrity tributes and fanboy adulation. Rather a smart, savvy and wickedly funny story of a 10-year odyssey to overnight success.